Vault or safe.



L. H. BOWMAN & G. L. DAMON.

VAULT OR SAFE.

APPLIOA-TION FILED AUG. 19. 1908,

Patented Apr. 20, 1909;

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L. H. BOWMAN & G. L. 'DAMON.

VAULT OR SAFE.

APPLICATION mum AUG. 19, 1908.

91 8,953. Patented Apr. 20, 1909,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE H. BOWMAN, OF MUNHALL, AND GEORGE L. DAMON, OF PITTSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA.

VAULT OR SAFE gheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Vaults or Sales, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part 1 01' this specification, in which Figure 1 is a sectionalplan view of a vault or safe constructed in accordance with ourinvention; Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation oi the same on the lineIIII of Fig. 1; is a detail sectional view on a larger scale showing theconstruction of the joints between the top, bottom or end plates and theside walls forming the vault; Fig. 4 is a detail view similar to Fig. 3showing a modified construction of the interlocking means at the joints;Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view on a larger scale showing one of theinterlocking bars and its wed ing keys employed in connecting thePfiLtQS together; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view in side elevation ofa pair of the coacting wedges used in tightening the interlocking barsin place; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showing the recessesprovided to permit the interlocking bars being placed in their slots andgrooves and showing the filler block bolted in place in this recess soas to hold the interlocking bars and wedges.

Our invention relates to the construction of burglar proof vaults and itparticularly relates to the type of vaults which are known as armorplate vaults in which hardened steel plates which have been treated bythe Harvey or other cementation process are used in constructing thewalls of such vaults.

The object of our invention is to provide improved means for securingtogether the meeting edges of the vault and the invention consists inthe novel arrangement of the grooves and slots in such. plates and inthe interlocking means employed in connection with such slots insecuring the plates together.

The invention also consists in the novel means employed by which theinterlocking bars are secured in place.

It further consists in providing means for securing the plates togetherwhich are inaccessible from the outside of the vault and by means ofwhich movement of the interlocking bars is prevented after they haveSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 19, 1908.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Serial No. 449,226.

been placed in position in their slots which are located in the innerface of the plates forming the vault.

In the drawings, 2 and 3 represent the top and bottom plates, 4 and 5the end plates and 6 the side plates forming the vault. The edges of theplates are rabbeted so as to form overlapping joints and the plates areconnected together at the joints by means oi: interlocking bars 7 andoppositely facing tapering wedging keys 8 which are inserted in thelongitudinal grooves or slots in the in ner surface of the plates andrunning parallel to the rabbet in the edges of these plates. The sidesof the longitudinal grooves or slots are parallel, part oi the slotsforming dove tails, into which the corresponding dove-tailed portions 9of the interlocking bars are inserted, the balance of the slots havingsquare faces at right angles to one another instead of being dove-tailedand the inner edges of such slots are undercut so as to form recessedgrooves into which the tongues 10 on the interlocking bars 7 proj ect,when these bars are in position. Pairs of oppositely tapering wedgingkeys 8 are preferably made of such length that after the keys have beendriven into place so as to draw the meeting edges oi the plates tightlytogether and key these interlocking bars in )lace that the keys will beapproximately dush with the end of the interlocking bar. Should the keysextend slightly beyond the end of the interlocking bar they can beeasily and quickly cut oil flush with the end of this bar.

In order to permit the introduction of the interlocking bars 7 into thedove-tail and recessed slots provided in the plates, a recess 15 isprovided in each plate intermediate the length of the slot or groove andafter each of the short bars 7 with their respective wedging keys 8 havebeen driven home, the filler blocks "16 are placed in each of therecesses 15 and are secured in place by means of suit able bolts 17 asshown in Fig. 7.

In the modification shown in Fig. l, it will be noted that instead ofhaving a double tapering dove-tail groove and corresponding dove-tail onthe end oi the interlocking bar 7, the one side of the groove isstraight with the outer face of the interlocking bar 7 correspondinglystraight.

In the erection of the vaults or safes, the plates which have beenmachined to the de sired size and shape and which have been providedwith the grooves and slots are assembled in place and are preferablyheld in position temporarily by any suitable clamping means. are thensuccessively inserted in the recess 15 and are moved in the grooves awayfrom the recess toward one end or the other of the slot or groove in theplates until the ends of the adjoining bars are in contact with eachother. VJ hen each interlocking bar 7 is moved into position its pair ofoppositely tapering wedging keys 8 are forced into posi-- tion totightly clamp the edges of the plates into engagement with theintermediate bars. After all of the interlocking bars 7 have been wedgedinto position, the recess 15 is provided with a filler block '16, whichis held in position by means of suitable tap bolts 17. The ends of thefollower blocks 16 contact with the ends of the bars 7 and with the endof the wedging keys and prevent any possible endwise movement of thebars and keys.

Vihile but one plate to each side of the vault is shown in the drawings,it is to be understood that the number of plates in any one side may bevaried as desired, the size of the vault being constructed determiningthe size and number of such plates.

While we have described the construction of a vault the invention isequally applicable to the construction of small safes when de- 4 sired.

- culty experienced in making long tapering slots is avoided. Byproviding short interlocking bars having parallel opposing faces, thecost of making such bars is reduced. The use of pairs of oppositelytapering wedging keys for securing the interlocking bars in placepermits the use of plain wedges which are easily and cheaply made andwhich do not have to be accurately machined to any exact size as onewedge may be slightly less in thickness than its opposing wedge, the twowedges making up the necessary thickness for wedging the interlockingbars in place. The filler blocks as shown and described, securely holdthe interlocking bars and wedging keys in place and prevent anypossibility of movement or displacement of these bars. The interlockingbars and their securing wedges are all inserted lace from the interiorof the vault and are maccessible except from the inside of the vault.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may bemade without departing from our invention. Instead of employinginterlocking bars having opposing parallel faces with a pair ofoppositely ta ering wedging keys for drawing and ho ding the edges ofthe plates together, one

The short interlocking bars 7 edge of said interlocking bars may betapered and a single taperin wedging keybe employed for securing t ebars in place in the parallel .sided slots located in the plates.

We claim r 1. A vault or safe composed of plates fitted together at thecorners and separate securing bars at the corners, each havinginterlocking engagement with each of its adjacent plates and meansfortightening the securing bars in place; substantially as described.

2. A vault or safe composed of plates fit ted together at the corners,separate securing members at the corners, each having an in terlockingengagement with each of its adj acent plates and means for tighteningthe securing members in place, said tightening means being seated fromthe interior of the structure; substantially as described.

3. A vault or safe composed of plates fitted together at the corners,separate securing members at the corners, each having an interlockingengagement with each of its adjacent plates and wedging means fortightening and securing its interlocking members; substantially asdescribed.

41. A vault or safe comprising plates abut ting at the corners of thestructure, each having a groove at its inner face adjacent to each ofits edges, interlocking members engaging said grooves and forminginterlocks for the plates at the corners and wedging members engagingwith said interlocking members and locking'said plates in position;substantially as described.

5. A vault or safe having plates fitted together at adjoining faces withtheir inner edges disposed at an angle to each other and inwardlyexposed slots in the inner faces of the plates located adjacent to theadjoining edges thereof, and locking members adapted to be inserted inplace after the plates are in position en aging the adjacent slots ofthe adjoining p ates to secure such plates together; substantially asdescribed.

6. A vault or safe comprising plates fitted together at adjoining edgesand having grooves or slots on their inner faces, at least one of saidslots being recessed by undercutting its side wall, an interlockingmember engaging adjacent slots on adjoining plates and having a tongueportion extending into the undercut portion of the recessed slot andwedging means arranged to secure said interlocking member in place;substantially as described. I

7. A vault or safe comprising plates abutting at the corners of astructure, each plate having a key-seating groove on its inner faceadjacent to each of its edges and at least one of said grooves beingrecessed by undercutting its side wall, interlocking members engaged byand secured in said grooves and forming interlocks for the plates andwedging keys'engaging with said interlocking members and tightening saidplates in position; substantially as described.

8. A vault or sale comprising plates fitted together at the corners, theinner surface of said plates having inwardly extending recesses exposedon the interior of the structure, and interlocking members adapted to beinserted in said recesses and secure said plates together; substantiallyas described.

9. A vault or sale comprising plates abutted at the corners, each platehaving a groove or slot on its inner lace, at least one of said slotsbeing recessed by undercutting its side wall, an interlocking barengaging adjacent slots on adjoining plates having a tongue portionextending into the undercut portion of the recessed slot and oppositelylacing wedging keys contacting with the interlocking bar and the sideWall of the slot for securing said interlocking bars in place;substantially as described.

10. A vault or safe composed of plates fitted together at the cornersand having slots on their inner faces, an interlocking bar engagingadjacent slots on adjoining plates and oppositely facing taperingwedging keys in said slots arranged to tighten the interlocking bars inplace in said slots; substantially as described.

11. A vault or safe comprising plates litted together at adjoining edgesand having parallel sided slots on their inner faces, a plurality ofinterlocking bars located in the adjacent slots of the adjoining plates,and a plurality of tapering wedging keys arranged to contact with andsecure said interlocking bars in said slots; substantially as described.

12. A vault or safe comprising plates fitted together at adjoining edgesand having parallel sided slots on their inner laces, a plurality ofinterlocking bars movably secured in the slots of adjoining plates, aplurality of wedging keys coacting with said interlocking bars to securethe bars in place, said keys having contacting wedging faces fortightening the interlocking bars in place, and a filler block adapted toprevent movement of said interlocking bars in said slots; substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

LEE H. BOWALAN. GEORGE L. DAMON. lVitnesses as to L. H. Bowman:

R. D. LITTLE, D. L. ZAOHARIAS. lVitnesses as to G. L. Damon:

J. C. BILY, R. T. McKEE.

